Friday, August 31, 2012

In the third quarter of last night's pre-season game with the Kansas City Chiefs, Packer quarterback Graham Harrell had a wardrobe malfunction that resulted in an unusual look.

Swooshless: Packers' Harrell dons non-Nike jersey

By the Associated Press
AUG. 31, 2012

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Backup quarterback Graham Harrell had a big night for the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, but one thing was missing in the late stages of the game: the swoosh symbol that's supposed to be on his jersey.

Talk about a football fashion faux pas.

Harrell says he had to change jerseys after his got torn during the Packers' 24-3 preseason victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. But the Packers apparently didn't have an identical replacement for Harrell's Nike-branded jersey available, so he had to put on an older one.

Harrell said, "They ripped my Nike one, and we just don't have replacement ones yet, I guess, is the story."

Nike replaced Reebok as the supplier of NFL team uniforms earlier this year.

Harrell added, "I hope I don't get fined, I guess."

Someone on the equipment staff appears to have taken a Sharpie to the Reebok logo, but they left the "NFL EQUIPMENT" patch alone.

Here's how Harrell looked earlier in the game:

Green Bay Packers quarterback Graham Harrell throws as he is being rushed by Kansas City Chiefs' Jeff Allen (71) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

If anything, I guess I'm surprised that anybody noticed. Almost a decade ago, after Reebok picked up the league-wide uniform contract, Brett Favre wore an old Nike cold-weather jersey with the swoosh taped over. But in the age of YouTube highlights, DVRs and the NFL Network, these uniform malfunctions are easier and easier to catch.

One of the first things I noticed is that nobody's wearing game pants. All of the players are in plain football pants, with nary a Braisher stripe to be found. Lots of classic "GB" caps on the coaches, though:

Green Bay Packers players hit a blocking sled with three coaches aboard as training camp begins on the practice field across from new City Stadium in mid-July 1962. From left on the sled are coach Vince Lombardi, defensive line coach Phil Bengtson and receivers coach Tom Fears. Press-Gazette archives

Of course, no training camp would be complete without a pic of the man himself. Cap and all.

Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi, at left center in white T-shirt, watches as center-linebacker Ken Iman (53) tackles rookie halfback Roger Holdinsky, center, during a drill as training camp begins on the practice field across from new City Stadium in mid-July 1962. Quarterback John Roach (10) is at left. Press-Gazette archives

What's #72 wearing? That's a good question, and one that needs its own post.

Green Bay Packers rookie receiver Oscar Donahue (89) goes through a drilll as training camp begins on the team's practice field across the street from new City Stadium in mid-July 1962. Coach Vince Lombardi watches at right. Press-Gazette archives

Just as today, the camp was well-attended by Packer Backers:

Fans watch as Green Bay Packers training camp begins on the practice field across from new City Stadium in mid-July 1962. Press-Gazette archives

I love the large sans-serif numbers:

Green Bay Packers defensive backs Don Ellersick (48) and John Symank (27) run on a rain-soaked practice field across the street from new City Stadium during training camp on July 20, 1962. Press-Gazette archives

I could definitely see those making a comeback the next time the Packers feel like tweaking their uniforms.

Check out the rest here. There's a lot to like in this gallery, and we'll be taking a look at more over the next couple days. Starting with what #72 is wearing.

I know, it's the preseason. Meaningless games. The Packers went 2-2 in the 2010 games. But still, it's good to see the team clicking and a win is always good.

What's even more interesting to me, though, is a uniform anomaly I noticed. The Packers are wearing at least two different jersey templates. Rodgers is wearing one, with its distinctive horizontal seam above the numbers. Compare that with the jersey Cedric Benson was wearing:

LB Jamari Lattimore was wearing the same template, giving us an even better look at its construction.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Jamari Lattimore returns an interception for a touchdown in the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012, in Cincinnati. Green Bay won 27-13. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

When Reebok still had the NFL contract, they were moving towards one single jersey template for all members of a team. Looks like Nike is supplying the Packers with at least two distinct templates.

Green Bay Packers tight end Tom Crabtree catches a pass against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/John Grieshop)

Friday, August 24, 2012

This week, Paul Lukas has been running a ranking of all uniforms in the four major sports in his ESPN Uni Watch column. 122 uniforms, from worst to first, all week. Today, he unveiled the top 25.

And, no surprise, the Packers rank pretty high.

#6. Green Bay Packers

Green and gold is the perfect autumnal color palette for a fall sport, the road design just about holds its own with the home uni, and the Pack's helmet logo still feels vibrant and relevant (unlike, say, the Bears' logo, which is starting to feel dated). Green Bay also has leapfrogged ahead of most NFL teams by not switching to the new Nike collar. Only two quibbles: The TV numbers have gotten intrusively large, and my kingdom for some striped socks.

The crack about the Bears' logo is tempered somewhat by the fact that Lukas ranked them higher; Chicago came in at #2.

As for the TV numbers, I agree that the increasingly-tight uniform cuts have eroded the real estate around them, making them appear ever-larger:

I cannot agree with his insistence on striped socks, only because the uniform is busy enough as-is. Were the Packers to adopt Braisher stripes on their socks, they'd need to consider removing the striped neckline, the last vestige of Forrest Gregg's 1984 redesign.

The Packers would also have to consider how to balance the sleeve stripes and sock stripes. I don't think a single set of Braisher stripes, as they wear on the sleeves, would look good on socks. They could add a second set of stripes to the sleeves, but that would require some creative thinking.

Fix the sleeve stripe problem, remove the neck stripes, and then it's those sock stripes standing between the Packers of 2012 and a truly classic uniform:

Friday, August 17, 2012

Another week, another bad loss in a preseason game. This one was at Lambeau, which means it was the first time the Packers took the field in their brand-spanking-new Nike home uniforms.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers throws during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Looking pretty good. Again I'm glad that the Packers decided to skip Nike's fancy new templates and fabrics to stick with their standard construction.

You can see it even more clearly on this shot of backup QB Graham Harrell:

Green Bay Packers quarterback Graham Harrell throws during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Here's a good shot showing the entire uniform:

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson (87) reacts with D.J. Williams (84) after catching a touchdown pass during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Love those low-white socks. Gotta show a lot of green.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson celebrates with fans after catching a touchdown pass during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Interesting that I can't see any Nike jerseys on the spectators. And what's up with the gold outlined-numbers on the woman just to Jordy's left?

When you look at them side-by-side, and allowing for differences between the graphics from the website and the scan of the newsstand version, a couple things pop out. First of all, they have added text to the cover. They've also replaced the block "PACKERS" text with the team's stencil wordmark.

What's most amazing to me, though, is that the Reebok logo has been Photoshopped off Aaron Rodgers's sleeve.

I know Nike wants to put their brand on the league, but this seems a bit extreme.

In 1934, noted Milwaukee Journal sports editor Oliver Kuechle helped negotiate an agreement between the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee city officials to stage two games per year at Milwaukee's State Fair Park—a venue with 10,000 more seats than Green Bay's Old City Stadium. Five years later, the NFL pressed the Packers to hold the 1939 Championship Game there, too. Green Bay blanked the Giants 27-0—marking the first shutout in NFL playoff history—and team executives bestowed Kuechle with this championship wristwatch in honor of his longtime affiliation with the Pack. The Hamilton watch measures 3/4" x 1" and features a gold Schwab & Wuischpard casing ("14K GOLD FILLED S & W"). The reverse is engraved, "O. KUECHLE 'PACKERS' WORLD CHAMPIONS 1939." It is possible to set the time, but the timepiece does not appear to run. Nice EX/MT exterior with moderately tarnished face and modern leather wristband. As a side note, it was Kuechle who coined the nickname "Hungry Five" for the quintet of Depression-era businessmen—among them, Curly Lambeau—who succeeded in keeping the Green Bay franchise afloat.

I don't know if the watchband is original; Hamilton did use Spiedel bands on its wristwatches. If so, the gold stamping is in excellent shape.

Oliver Kuechle was, as the auction catalog notes, a hugely influential figure in early Packers history. Even if his only contribution had been giving the "Hungry Five" their sobriquet, his place would be assured. Kuechle's contibutions went much deeper than that, however. As a leading voice in Milwaukee sports, he was a loud and persistent booster of the team in Wisconsin's biggest city. After the Packers' first attempt at playing Milwaukee home games in Borchert Field, a cramped, wooden minor league baseball park, Kuechle helped broker a deal for Curly's boys to play at State Fair Park, a venue much more suited to the sport. State Fair would be the Packers' home away from home for the next seventeen seasons, giving the team access to a larger fanbase.

Kuechle worked his way up from sportswriter (covering, among other great events, Jesse Owens's record-setting performance at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin) to sports editor of the Milwaukee Journal.
He retired in January of 1972.

The auction will be open for bidding, with a minimum bid of $300, on August 20th.

Friday, August 10, 2012

The Packers' first preseason game of 2012 is in the books—an ugly 21-13 loss to San Diego, if anyone puts stock in such things—and with it, we had our first look at the Packers' new Nike uniforms.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks to throw against the San Diego Chargers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

So far, so good. I especially like the rubberized NFL shield, which looks worlds better than the "NFL EQUIPMENT" patch.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb (18) scores a touchdown in front of San Diego Chargers defensive back Shareece Wright during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Interesting that the Packers are still wearing black cleats. I don't know if they will continue to wear black during the season or if they will take advantage of the new "team color" rule; the last time the Packers changed cleats, they did so after the last preseason game.

San Diego Chargers wide receiver Jason Barnes (30) is pursued by Green Bay Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji (90) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Two things stand out to me from this photo:

Nike has the same stretchy-number problem as Reebok; and

Man, the flywire collars on those Chargers' jerseys are brutal.

The material looks good under sunlight, even on a backup QB. The shorts are a little high over the knee, though.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Graham Harrell throws against the San Diego Chargers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Note the "EQUIPMENT" patch on Harrell's towel. Better there than on the jersey.

On the whole, I'm impressed. And once again, I'm very glad that the Packers rejected Nike's "Speed Machine" template and opted to remain with their classic construction.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

The Packers played their first preseason game in San Diego tonight, giving us our first look at the new Nike uniforms in action.

We'll cover that in some depth tomorrow, but first I wanted to recognize another first on the field, one that is related to uniforms only as far as who was wearing one for the first time.

Line judge Shannon Eastin, left, takes the field prior to an NFL preseason football game between the San Diego Chargers and the Green Bay Packers, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012, in San Diego. Eastin is a replacement line judge who will make her NFL debut in the exhibition game. The regular officials are locked out by the league after their contract expired.

I'm not a huge fan of either lockouts or replacement workers, but in this case I'm proud of the NFL. This is a great step forward.

Hopefully Ms. Eastin will have an opportunity to show her work and earn a regular spot on one of the NFL's officiating crews.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was in Detroit visiting the Lions' training camp today, and was asked about the National Basketball Association's plan to sell advertising space on its uniforms.

For the uninitiated, the NBA hasn't officially committed itself to selling the ad space, but NBA deputy commissioner (and presumed commissioner-in-waiting) Adam Silver has told the press that they are "likely" to allow teams to sell advertising space on their jerseys in the near future and that "there is potentially a big opportunity in the marketplace" for it.

Predictably, the news set off a firestorm among sports fans, chief among them those of us with an interest in the games' æsthetics.

Paul Lukas is doing his part to spread awareness and outrage with a #NoUniAds on Twitter. He's also chronicling the many email messages sent to the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner in protest (f you'd like to join that protest, Lukas has some very good suggestions over at Uni Watch).

Naturally, other leagues were immediately asked about it. For his own part, MLB Commissioner was pretty quick to shoot down any suggestion that baseball was heading in that direction.

"You learn never to say never, but you know, with us, uniforms are really important," Selig said. "They're history.
"You can close your eyes, and that Cub uniform, my goodness gracious, I can remember [that from] when I was 10 years old, and that's a long time ago. And there's the Yankee pinstripes and the Red Sox, and so on and so forth, so I've been pretty consistent on that."

Well, that's good to hear. But how about football? In response to a question from the Detroit Free Press, Goodell gave some welcome news.

"It's not something that’s actively being considered in the NFL," Goodell said. "We like the look that we have on the field. We have a very limited number of partners on our field in general, much less on the uniform, and we think that’s right for the NFL."

Of course, the NFL's skirts aren't completely clean on this score. The Packers are currently in their third consecutive Training Camp following the sale of sponsorship patches on the practice jerseys.

Welcome

Welcome to the official blog of the Green Bay Packers Uniform Database, chronicling ninety-plus years of our team looking good while playing well. This started as a zine in 1994, moved online a decade later, and has become a longer-lasting project than anyone could have reasonably expected.

Click on "Uniform Timeline" below for the original Database, a chronological listing of the Packers' uniforms since 1919.

Chance Michaels is a native New Yorker who spent many of his formative years in Milwaukee and developed a lifelong interest in the region's sporting history. In addition to his work with the Green Bay Packers Uniform Database, he edits BorchertField.com, an ongoing research project devoted to Milwaukee's pre-1953 baseball clubs and their ballpark.

When not immersing himself in old game programs, wire service photos and newspaper archives, he produces theatre Off-Broadway, and was formerly a contributor to The Onion. He lives in New York City with his family.

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